May 30, 2009 Membership Meeting


Staff on strike	Staff on strike	Staff on strike	Staff on strike	Staff on strike

Roberto Maestas	Roberto Maestas	Tomas Villanueva	Jesus Sosa	KDNA building

Huelga!

Held outside in over 90 degree temperatures across the street from KDNA's new air-conditioned facilities, KDNA supporters and their families gathered to pay their annual dues and hold a meeting of the KDNA membership. They were denied use of a meeting room and locked out of the community center that houses KDNA. At one point, Board President Jorge Lobos peeked around a half-open door, but quickly recoiled inside when invited to come out and join the membership meeting.

In the sweltering heat, Roberto Maestas, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza and former KDNA Board President; Lilia Villarreal, City of Granger Council; long-time farm worker activist, Tomas Villanueva; KDNA founder and former executive director, Ricardo Garcia; and Manuel Villafan of the State Hispanic Affairs Commission spoke or listened to concerns voiced by those present.

"Is it not a shame that a former board member of Radio Cadena is not allowed in the building," said Roberto Maestas. "It's like not being allowed in ones own home. This hurts even more when I think back that we welcomed Jorge to the Centro de la Raza and supported him when he immigrated here as a Chilean refugee fleeing from injustice."

At this meeting, however, Lobos was the one accused of injustice by striking KDNA staff members who shared their concerns about treatment of staff and bad management. Miguel Balderas spoke about the disrespect towards former Executive Director Ricardo Garcia.

"He (Ricardo Garcia) raised all the money to build this new facility to serve the community and now he is not allowed inside," said Balderas. "Ricardo Garcia is one of the founders of Radio Cadena who struggled and fought to provide farm workers with an avenue to receive information and to have a voice in issues affecting their lives. Now Ricardo's voice is not allowed on the air. This is how Maria and Jorge treat people who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping our community."

Balderas, a long-time staff member, said when he was questioned by Fernandez and Lobos as to why the employees wanted to have a union now when they never had before, he responded, "because never in the history of Radio KDNA has the staff ever been harassed, disrespected, intimidated and abused the way it has been in the last few months by Maria." Balderas related that when Fernandez first arrived she said that they had to clean out the "mugrero" ("trash" - referring to KDNA staff) that was left behind by Ricardo.

Staff member Jesus Sosa stated that being on strike is very difficult but in a way beautiful, too, "just like the early founders of Radio KDNA who struggled to build it, we are struggling now to keep their dreams alive, to continue KDNA's mission and commitment to community and farmworkers," he said. "The truth is that what they sacrificed for years to build we have been losing in just the past few months. Never before have community voices not been heard on the air, never before have community voices been denied a voice on the air. Maria and Jorge may be saying a lot of things that sound good but their actions are speaking much louder than their words."

Sosa then played a recording of Lobos threatening to give the station away.

Community member, Jose Rios spoke about the need to keep supporting KDNA and the striking workers. "This is a strike about dignity - no other radio station has given voice and provided information and education on issues of human rights, immigration, health and so many other topics so important to our community - only Radio KDNA had the courage and the caring to make that its mission. It's a shame that a station that was built to support and empower a community is now being used to suppress its voice."

Over $900 in membership dues were raised at this meeting, and were conveyed to KDNA management along with two resolutions adopted by the members. One resolution asked for the immediate resignation of Jorge Lobos, while the second called for another meeting of the members at which a new Board would be appointed.

May 30, 2009 Resolution of the Membership

Whereas , the dues paying membership of NCEC/KDNA elected the first Board of Directors for the Northwest Chicano Radio Network (later changing its name to Northwest Communities' Education Center---NCEC) in 1979;

And Whereas , the NCEC/KDNA membership has remained a viable, visible and active community by paying annual membership dues;

And Whereas , the NCEC/KDNA membership is very concerned with the actions of the present Board of Directors and which affect the financial future of the organization and Radio KDNA, and also jeopardizes its community services mission;

And Whereas, the NCEC Board of Directors have not followed or complied with the NCEC By-laws and jeopardizing its IRS tax exempt status as a non-profit corporation;

And Whereas, the NCEC Board has neglected to evaluate the performance of its new Executive Director on a timely basis;

And Whereas , the NCEC Executive Director's actions have had a negative impact on the NCEC/KDNA staff resulting in the employees seeking representation by a local Union in order to stop employment harassment and to secure employment security;

And Whereas , the NCEC Board has violated its own policies for filling vacancies in the Board;

And because the NCEC/KDNA dues paying membership represents the community and radio members that the NCEC Board of Directors are accountable to but have failed to do so;

Now let it be known and resolved that the NCEC/KDNA dues paying membership is instructing the NCEC Board of Directors to call for a Special Meeting of the NCEC/KDNA membership for the following purposes: 1.) That the present Board vacate their positions; 2.) Immediately afterwards re-appoint a new Board comprised of eleven (11) members; 3.) Upon doing so, have an open election of Board Officers.

Please respond within ten (10) days from receipt of this resolution.

Approved and signed on this 30th day of May, 2009.

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